PLAINFIELD – A Joliet man died Thursday after being pulled into a machine at a steel processing plant in Plainfield.
Police Sgt. Kevin McQuaid said first responders were called at 1:33 a.m. to Coilplus Inc., 14023 S. Coil Plus Drive, and arrived to find the 50-year-old employee had died. The Will County Coroner’s Office pronounced Carlos Rivera dead at the scene at 2:15 a.m.
An autopsy performed Thursday showed Rivera died from “multiple injuries due to an industrial mishap,” according to the coroner’s office.
McQuaid said the incident is being treated as an accidental death and the investigation is ongoing. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported in a news release the man was “caught in a steel baler.”
There have been no previous OSHA inspections at the Coilplus Plainfield facility. However, this is OSHA’s second fatality inspection this week in the Chicago area.
A worker died of injuries from a fall from an asphalt tank under construction at International Tank Service’s Willow Springs location, prompting OSHA to open an investigation Monday.
“This has been a tragic week in the Chicago area, and we at OSHA offer our condolences to the family and friends of these workers,” said Kathy Webb, OSHA’s area director in Calumet City, in the news release. “No worker should fail to return home following their shift. Employers have a responsibility to protect employees on the job.”